Light in the Dark
by Kaika Hana
Summary: RenxOC. T for being a Hell Girl fic. XD Love is found in some of the strangest places... And love can also light the path of one who has been walking in the dark. FINALLY COMPLETE. Thank you for the support. :
1. Prologue

A/N This'll be quite a long story, I think. :D

Light in the Dark

Prologue

"Aah! I'm going to be late!" Shouted a 19-year old girl on her way to school. Since she was in college, she was wearing a casual outfit. A simple white shirt, jeans and blue sandals. Her long brown hair was tied in a half ponytail. Her lavender eyes focused on the road as she drove at top speed in her red sports car.

She turned a sharp curve and saw a small boy run to the middle of the road to pick up his toy. By the time the situation had finally settled in her mind and she hit the brakes, it was too late. The tires screeched and left skid marks on the road. The marks ended at a pool of blood around the boy's body.

The 2nd-year college student hurriedly got out of the car to run to the boy and there she met with a girl her age who seemed to be the boy's sister. Said girl looked up, tears running down her face and a scowl forming on her lips.

"Yamaoka-san… You of all people… How could you do this to him?!" The sister screamed. She was in shock and agony. Not only did she see the accident before her own eyes, her classmate was the one who committed it.

"Hi...Hiiraga-san… G...Gomenasai! I didn't… I…" She was at a loss for words.

"You don't have to say a word." Hiiraga said, with her head hanging low.

"C…C'mon, we can bring him to a hospital!" She said, trying to make up for what she did.

"Don't bother…" She said coldly. "His heart stopped beating and I can't feel his pulse… He's dead." Tears continued to flow down her cheeks and onto the ground.

"N…Nani?! I… are you sure you… Ah… G..Gomenasai…" Although it was an accident, she couldn't help feeling guilty.

A solemn silence surrounded them. People stopped to stare at the scene, but not for long since each person was busy with their own business.

"Su… Sumimasen Hiiraga-san, but…What… are we gonna do now?"

"We? Oh no, you go to school. I need to take care of…his wake and funeral, I guess." She sighed as she picked up the 6-year-old's body and stood up.

"Tell Nakagawa-sensei what happened while you're there." She said before disappearing into the crowd, leaving Yamaoka alone, speechless.

She got up with her head hanging, and stepped into her car. "I could still make it to school on time if… Oh who am I kidding…?" She said to herself.

~Hiiraga Residence~

"Yo-kun… I'm so sorry…" The 19 year old cried into her pillow, with her blue shirt and white pants ruffled. Her short black hair was a complete mess on the pillow and her dark green eyes were filled with tears.

"…I will avenge you Yo-kun… I promise…" She said through her tears as she sat up.

"You will pay for this… Yamaoka Masame…"

~To be continued~

A/N Review please! :D Oh and if you think you know what's gonna happen next, tell me in a review. Not to be mean but I bet it'll be wrong! XD


	2. Loss

Light in the Dark

Chapter 1

~Some time after the accident~

~Yamaoka Residence~

"I'm home!" Masame said as she shut the door.

"Welcome home dear." Her mom smiled as she met her at the entrance.

"Nee-chan! Play with me!" Her 10-year-old brother Daichi said with eagerness. His blue eyes showed his excitement while his short, brown, messy hair showed just how active he was.

"Daichi-kun, please go fix your hair." His mother requested.

"Okaa-san…" He groaned.

"C'mon bozu, go fix your hair." Nagame, their 15-year-old sister said. She was still in her uniform and her shoulder-length brown hair was neatly fixed in a headband.

"Will you play with me too?" He looked at her hopefully.

"If you go fix your hair. C'mon." She laughed.

"I guess I'll go with them." Masame told her mother.

~Daichi's room~

"Why do I have to fix my hair anyway? It's just gonna get messy again…" He whined as Nagame combed it.

"Because okaa-san said so, Chi-kun." Masame giggled.

"Alright, we're done!" Nagame grinned, proud of how she was able to tame the unruly mess of chocolate-brown hair.

"So we can play now?" He jumped in excitement.

"Hai, bozu. So what would you like to play?" Nagame smiled.

~A few hours later~

"Ah! I'm tired." Nagame said as she fell on the bed.

"Me too." Masame sighed and sat down next to her sister.

"Aw, already? But I wanna play some more!" Daichi jumped onto the bed.

"No…more…" Nagame said through her laughs.

"Kids! It's time for dinner!" They suddenly heard their father shout.

"Oto-san's home!" Daichi said and he disappeared in an instant.

"Well, let's go eat. I'm starving!" Masame helped her little sister up.

Yup, it was a regular day at the Yamaoka residence.

At least… until…

~Late that night~

"….cha…" Masame could faintly hear.

"Nee-chan…" It was getting clearer.

"Onee-chan! Wake up!" Nagame shook her sleepy sister.

"Wh..what's *yawn* wrong?" Masame groggily sat up.

"Fire!" She was obviously terrified.

"What?" She rubbed her eyes unaware of what Nagame was trying to tell her.

"Our house is on fire!" She said shaking her shoulders.

"WHAT?!" That shocked her wide awake.

"C'mon, we gotta get outta here! Okaa-san, oto-san and bozu are all in the kitchen. C'mon!" She frantically pulled her sister as a signal for Masame to follow her.

They made it to the kitchen where their father was trying to open the door.

"Oto-san… What's gonna happen to us?!" Daichi cried.

"I don't know son…" He said, giving up on the doorknob.

"Have you tried every exit there is?" Their mother said.

"I have. It's no use. We're trapped in here. The phones are dead and the windows are stuck so we can't call for help either." He sighed and slumped down onto the floor.

"O..oto-san…" Masame went over to hug her father.

"Is there really no hope of escaping okaa-san?" Nagame started sobbing as well.

"I…don't know…" She replied before the thick black smoke got her to start coughing.

"Okaa-san!" Daichi hugged her.

"I'm sorry… You…know that I was… always quite… weak... didn't you?" Her knees started wobbling and she fell to the floor, still in a coughing fit.

The fires grew larger and larger while the smoke got darker and thicker. Some neighbors tried to contact the fire department but the Yamaoka family was still stuck inside. The house started to collapse. They were going to get crushed under their own home for sure.

"_How much time has passed…? How long can we still…keep this up…?" _Masame thought as she fell to the floor.

"Oto-san… okaa-san…" She murmured.

"We're…here…" They were getting weaker.

"Me-chan… Chi-kun…"

"Onee-chan…" All of them were scattered on the floor of the burning mahogany entrance hall.

"Ai…shi…te…ru…"

Those were the last words she was able to utter before everything had blacked out…

…

"Unnngh…" she stirred.

"Ah! Sh…she's waking up!" She could hear unfamiliar voices.

"Wh…where…" She struggled to open her eyes. She was surrounded by many faces and through them she only saw one she recognized.

"M..Mi…chi…no… nee-chan…" Her voice was weak and hoarse.

"Masame-chan!" She cried out and went over to hug her best friend, whom she called her "little sister".

"Where…am…I?" She asked her older friend..

"You're in the hospital, Masame-chan... You've been asleep for over a month now..." She sighed.

"A month...? I... was I... in a coma?" She asked, eyes still half-closed.

"Yes... We were afraid that you were never going to wake up, to tell you the truth..." She said with a shaky voice.

"Nee-chan... Did you... come here often in that month?" Masame sat up.

"Everyday. I didn't want my best friend to wake up without me there to greet her!" She smiled.

"Arigato, onee-chan." She smiled back.

"Masame-chan... Tell me... What's the last thing you can remember?" Michino asked.

"I..." She said and suddenly gasped at the image that appeared before her.

"_Ai...shi...te...ru..."_

The memory caused her tears to suddenly flow.

"Ah! M..Masame-chan!" Michino went over to comfort her younger friend.

"Okaa-san... Oto-san... Me-chan... Chi-kun..." Her eyes dilated and she started to tremble.

"Where..." She continued to shake, hesitating to ask the question that could make or break her.

"Where are they?!" She screamed at the doctors.

"Masame-chan..." Tears started to well in Michino's eyes as well.

"N... Nee-chan...?"

"They..."

"Where are they?"

"Masame-chan..." Her tears flowed down her cheeks as she hugged Masame.

"Wh...what's going on...?"

"Masame-chan... They're... They're gone..." She finally said.

"N..no… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

~To Be Continued~


	3. Home

A/N: When it comes to the things Ai says, I made it a mix of the Japanese version and the English dub I watch on T.V. So some things may not sound right, but that's how the dubbed version is like and well, since it's the one I usually watch, it's the one I memorized. Live with it… please? xD

Light in the Dark

Chapter 2

Masame's POV

I had nowhere to go... My house... was destroyed... I can't stay at Michino nee-chan's place either... Their family is already packed in their house and I couldn't bear burdening them further. So until I find a place of my own, I'm staying at the hospital... The doctors insisted. All my clothes were destroyed as well, but nee-chan was kind enough to give me some of hers.

I still can't believe... that I'm alone though... Both my parents were only children and my grandparents are dead too. I have nee-chan, but... We aren't actually related... So I'm the last Yamaoka alive then...

The day I woke up, Michino nee-chan went with me to the cemetery. 4 graves stood there, side by side. I wondered... Why didn't I die? Why leave me... to suffer all of this... Why...? Why did they leave me... behind?

Wait. This... It just doesn't fit! We all suffered the same damage, why didn't I die?! This... This was no accident at all! It... was planned! Planned from the very beginning! But... Who... Who did it...? Ah, I'm jumping to conclusions again. Before I go accusing people, I gotta make sure my hunch is right!

I went to the hospital and asked about the rest of my family. I looked at their autopsies and... There. There it was... They... They were poisoned! Someone poisoned them! But... How? And when? Maybe onee-chan can help me...

I went straight to onee-chan's place and told her what I thought was going on.

"Well, who do you think could've done it then?" She wondered.

"That's the thing. I need your help so I can find out who killed them." I said with determination.

"Well... Does your dad have any enemies?" She asked.

"Not that I know of."

"How about your mom?"

"Nope, she's way too nice."

"Nagame-chan?"

"If she had any enemies they would be her age. I doubt that a 15-year-old could do something like that."

"Daichi-kun?"

"He's Mr. Popular in his class!"

"Well then, that only leaves one person." She stared at me intensely.

"Me?!"

"Who else could it be?" Her long chocolate-brown curls covered her auburn eyes.

I was speechless.

"Well, do you have any enemies? Think hard now..." She was actually serious about this... I can't believe it!

I thought long and hard. Was there anyone that I wasn't in good terms with?

...

That's when it hit me.

"Hiiraga-san."

"Hiiraga-san? You mean your classmate?!" Michino's jaw dropped.

"I can't think of anyone else." I sighed.

"But... Why would she..." Michino nee-chan looked pensive.

"Do you recall the accident I was involved in?"

"The one with the Hiiraga boy? Oh God. Hiiraga. She's related to him, isn't she?!"

"He's her little brother in fact. And I can't think of anyone else who would have a grudge on me."

"Then it must be her! But... We should confront her... Just in case." Her voice shook.

We went over to Hiiraga-san's place. She came out and scoffed at the sight of me.

"Oh, so you've woken up then. So, how does it feel to lose your family huh?" She just smirked.

That heartless bitch.

"You... So you _did_ do it!" I was ready to punch her straight in the face! But nee-chan held me back.

"And so what if I did? You deserved it! After you killed my brother... Yo-kun..." Her ice-blue eyes were piercing right into my soul.

"That's what happens when you mess with me." She gave me a mocking smile.

"And don't bother trying to turn me in. You have no proof on me. At all." She flipped her short black hair and walked back into her house.

"Shimata! Why did you stop me, nee-chan?!" I was in rage.

"There are more ways to resolve this you know." She sighed.

I couldn't answer her. I might say something I would regret.

Later on that day, I was waiting for the bus that would bring me back to my temporary home. That's when I heard two high school students talking.

"Hey have you heard about the Hotline to Hell?" The first one said.

"You mean the one that gets revenge for you?" The second one answered.

"Yeah! That one!"

"They say if you go there at midnight, the Hell Girl will take revenge for you!"

"Scary!"

That's when the bus arrived and everyone got on.

The Hotline to Hell huh?

~ 11:59 P.M. ~

Just one more minute... Will this really work?

12:00 A.M.

There!

*****click!*

The page turned black. I thought it was just an error, but then a flame appeared in the middle and an empty task bar appeared with a sentence written on top.

"I will deliver your vengeance." It read.

There's only one way to see if this is real...

_Hiiraga Tsunee_

I clicked enter and suddenly I wasn't in the hospital room anymore.

An eternal sunset glowed over the horizon. The reds and oranges blended in perfect harmony up in the sky. And there in front of me was the shadow of a large tree and figures of people. I went closer and saw 4 of them there. An old man with a traditional styled kimono, a hat and a red scarf, a beautiful woman with a blue kimono and a big red sash tied around her waist – Wait, a red sash? Is she... a prostitute? Hm... Well anyway, there was a young man with a casual outfit and his hair covered one of his eyes, and there was a young girl there. She looked like she was about 13-years-old. She was wearing a black sailor uniform with a red tie. Her crimson eyes contrasted her pale face and her long black hair cascaded behind her.

"Are…are you… Jigoku Shoujo?" I asked, still amazed that it wasn't just a myth.

"Hai. I am Enma Ai." Her voice was emotionless and airy.

"Wanyuudou." She said without turning back.

"Hai, ojou." The old man replied and threw his scarf around his neck. A moment later, he turned into a black straw doll with a red string on it.

"This is for you." She said, holding out the doll.

"If you truly wish to eliminate the person tormenting you, then you must untie that red string. Once you remove it, you will enter into an official contract with me. The one you seek to take revenge on will immediately be taken to hell." She explained as I took the doll into my hands.

"This sounds too good to be true. There's a catch isn't there?" My hands were shaking involuntarily as I spoke.

She nodded. "When one is cursed, two graves are dug. And after your body dies, your soul will be taken to hell as well. Your soul will wander in pain and suffering for all eternity, never knowing what paradise is like."

The thought made me tremble. If I went to hell… I would never see my family again… But if I don't do this, Hiiraga will get away with what she did. Ahh, I can't think straight!

"That's only after you die though." She added. Was it supposed to comfort me?

"Can I think about it? I don't have to pull the string right now, do I?"

She shook her head and suddenly I was back at the hospital.

"The rest is for you to decide." I heard her say.

~*~*~

I went to school again for the first time since I woke up the next day. Everyone crowded me and asked me so many questions. Guess we made the headlines then…

I went to class and apologized to my teacher for being away so long. She told me that I wasn't at fault and that she'd give me make-up lessons. Nakagawa-sensei is nice.

I made my way to my seat. Thankfully, it's far away from Hiiraga-san's seat. During lunch break, I sat under my favorite tree in the field and ate alone there. A young man came up to me. He was wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt and an orange vest. He had jeans, sneakers and he wore red glasses. His black hair covered one of his eyes. I feel like I've seen him before, but where?

"Hey, you're Yamaoka Masame, right?" He asked.

"Yes… And you are?"

"Ichimoku Ren. I'm in my 3rd year of culinary arts." He smiled.

"I'm in my 2nd year of animation." I smiled.

"Mind if I sit here?" He pointed to the spot next to me.

"Please, go ahead."

"So what are you having?" He asked while opening his own bento box.

"Nothing much… Just some fried fish and rice."

"Did you cook it yourself?"

"No, the hospital I'm staying at gave me this."

"Ahh, I see."

He didn't ask about the hospital, so he must know about what happened to me…

"So tell me about yourself." I said. I was curious about why he was here talking to me…Was it because of what happened?

"Well, what do you wanna know?"

We talked for the whole lunch period. He seemed like a really nice guy. I was about to go back to class when he called my attention.

"What time does your class end?" He asked.

"Around 4."

"I'll meet you outside your classroom." He smiled.

"Alright. See you later!" I didn't protest. He was nice, and I would be glad to have a friend in the same school. It's not that I don't have friends, but they all study in other places.

~After class~

"Yama-san." He tapped my shoulder. I told him to call me that since Yamaoka was quite long. And I in turn called him Moku-san.

"So, shall we go?" He reached his hand out.

I took his hand and we left. For some reason, it didn't feel weird that we were acting so close.

"So, you're staying at the hospital for now?" He asked.

"Yeah. I would stay at one of my friends' houses, but I wouldn't want to bother them." I answered.

"Well, I know we just met, but why don't you stay at my place?"

"Wh..what?" Oh gosh, am I blushing?!

"I'm serious. I live alone and we go to the same school… There's a spare room you could use too." He really meant it!

"W…wait, you live alone? So where do you get money?"

"I have a part-time job at a nearby restaurant." He smiled.

"I…" This could work, but still… It's quite embarrassing…

"Well of course, that's for you to decide." He smiled and pat my head.

"Oh alright, you win. At least you can cook. Now I won't have to deal with hospital food everyday!" I laughed.

"Ichimoku Ren, chef-in-training, is at your service!" He winked.

I wonder… Is it wrong to be doing this? I just met this guy, yet I'm going to live with him. Maybe I should just think of it as roommates. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

We went to the hospital to get my minimal stuff and then he went to Moku-san's home.

It was a cozy little home, fit for a person like him. The guest room was cute too, so I had no complaints.

I think… Maybe I could get used to this.

~To Be Continued~


	4. Knowledge

Light in the Dark

Chapter 3

Ren's POV

She's been living at my place for awhile now. But when she falls asleep I go back to Ojou for awhile to give a report. It's hard to do this investigating stuff though. Especially since I'm still not completely used to human nature. But while I'm here, I really do go to school and work. It's a good thing I'm disguised as a culinary student. I find cooking fun!

"Ren-san, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh! Hone-Onna, you surprised me."

"Sorry." She laughed.

"Well, anyway, what were you saying?"

"You looked so pensive. Just wanted to know what was on your mind." She smiled.

"Nah, I was just thinking about what I'll cook for dinner tonight…" Well it was partially true.

"Is that so?" She's not gonna believe me, is she?

"Well, that and what's going on with my investigation so far."

"So what _is_ happening?"

"Not much. It's nice living like a human though. But sometimes I can't understand what's going on in Masame-chan's mind."

"Masame-chan? So you moved from last name to first name now huh?" She teased.

"Aren't I supposed to get closer to her? How am I gonna find anything out otherwise?"

"Oh alright. So what did you find out?"

"Hiiraga Tsunee. She really planned the death of Masame-chan's family. It was revenge for her brother, who Masame-chan accidentally killed. She's such a petty human."

"I knew that much myself. What else do you know?" She asked.

"Well it turns out Hiiraga-san has psychological problems. They're not that bad, but they affect her from time to time."

"I see…"

"And what about you? What did you learn?"

"Well, I learned that both girls were never that close and the accident made Hiiraga-san cold and cruel."

"What are you doing again?" I asked.

"I'm pretending to be a teacher at your school. What, don't tell me you never saw me?"

"Actually, I never did." I smiled.

"Nani?! Hmph. Well, you better get going. It looks like your roommate's almost done shopping." She pointed to Masame-chan coming out of the store with her onee-chan.

"Ah, alright. Later." I went over to them.

"Who was that Ren-kun?" Masame-chan asked.

"Maybe his girlfriend?" Her "sister" added.

I coughed and looked back to see Hone-Onna looking appalled at the statement.

"I guess not." Michino-san smiled. She told me to call her that.

"Well, anyway, are you done shopping?" I tried to change the topic.

"Yeah, we are. Let's go home." Masame-chan smiled.

"Let's bring Michino-san home first." I reminded her.

"Ah, right." Seems she forgot.

Speaking of forgetting, it's as if she forgot all about Wanyuudou. Is she ever going to pull it?

~Dinner time at Moku's~

"Masame-chan! It's time for dinner!" I called from the kitchen. I got no response.

I set the table and went to her room to call her.

*knock knock*

"Masame-chan?"

… Still nothing.

"Masame-chan, I'm coming in, alright?"

I opened the door and I saw her sitting on the bed, staring at the doll. I guess she didn't forget after all.

She turned towards me and stared at me with her pupils shrinking. Her hands were shaking and they looked like they were about to pull the string.

"R..Ren-kun…" She said, shocked.

"Ah, I'm sorry… It's just, you weren't answering…"

"Ren-kun… Do you know what this is?" She was sweating bullets!

"In a way. Why do you ask?"

"So… Have you sent someone to hell?" She relaxed a little.

"No, but I know some people who did." It's not really lying, is it?

"Ren-kun..." She dropped the doll on the bed and ran towards me. To my surprise, she wrapped her arms around me and started crying.

There was nothing else I could do right? I returned the hug, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other stroking her long, silky hair.

"There there… It's okay…"

"Ren-kun… I'm so confused…" She said through her tears.

"You don't have to pull it right now you know. Ojou said so didn't she?"

…Oh crap. Did I just say that?

"Ojou?" She said, pulling away from the embrace.

"Ah! Y…You… You're that guy!" She realized.

"Wh… What are you talking about?" Ah, forget trying to cover up, you just blew your cover, smartass.

"The one by the tree… When the Jigoku Shoujo gave me the doll!"

"I can explain!"

"… Alright, go ahead." Her face became serious. Shimata! Why'd I open my big mouth?!

"…Come with me." I gave her my hand. I thought the easiest way to explain things to her would be to bring her to Eternal Twilight.

She took my hand and I closed my eye. A minute later, we were there at Ojou's house. As usual, the eternal sunset glowed and the red flowers swayed in the wind. The water on the pond was disturbed by one stray leaf from a nearby tree.

Hone-Onna was sitting on the porch. She spotted me and walked our way, looking disappointed.

"You're that woman from earlier…" Masame-chan recalled.

"Ren-san, what's she doing here?!"

"Long story short, I blew my cover. She knows who I am." I sighed.

"What will Ojou say when she finds out?!"

"Looks like we're gonna see, coz here she comes." I said with a bit of worry.

"Ren. This… is our client, is it not?" She said monotonously,

"Hai, Ojou."

"What are you doing here?" Ojou asked.

"I don't really know myself…" She said, terrified.

"I… Ojou, I accidentally told her who I was. She asked for an explanation, and I thought this would be the quickest way for her to see…"

Ojou didn't answer.

"Gomenasai, Ojou. I will accept any punishment bestowed on me!" I bowed.

"Stand up, Ren." She said.

Be prepared for the worst Ren…

"Come inside." She told Masame-chan.

"Ah, h..hai…" She followed Ojou inside and I was left there with Hone-Onna.

...What?

Masame's POV

Enma-san's house was quite dark. And behind a screen door was a figure of someone spinning a wheel.

"Ai, who's that?" The voice asked from behind the door.

"A client, obaa-san." She replied.

"Ah, I see…" She said, still spinning her wheel.

"Su...sumimasen, Enma-san, demo... Why did you bring me here?" The question was burning in my mind.

"Since you were already here, I might as well invite you inside, right?" She said, staring at me with those round glass-like eyes.

"W...well I guess..." Oh God, I'm scared!

"So it seems you've found out about Ren." She said, her eyes closing slightly.

"Then you must already know that he is not human." She said, as if it were such a regular thing to say!

"Uhm... Forgive me for asking, but what _is_ he?"

"You should ask him that yourself." She said, picking up a wooden flute.

"You're right." I sighed. Things have become quite complicated.

"Well, excuse me then." I stood up and bowed slightly.

"Alright." She said and then blew into her flute.

"It made a sound..."

I said nothing and went outside. She's very... eccentric.

Ren's POV

"Oh, Masame-chan, there you are. So, what did you talk about?"

"Not much. She's very quiet, isn't she?"

"Yes she is." I sighed. I took her hand and brought her over to the field of flowers.

"Well, now you know the truth. If you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to force yourself to stay with me you know..." I mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" She smiled, which surprised me.

"I have fun living where we live now. I don't care at all." She walked closer to me.

"I don't care if you're not human. To me, you're still just Ren-kun." She rested her head on my shoulder.

"Masame-chan..." I was surprised at her reaction.

"By the way, forgive me for asking, but if you're not human, what are you?" She asked me innocently.

"I was a spirit that lived in a sword. Until Ojou found me, I had no control over anything. And in that way, I killed many innocent people." I sighed, remembering my horrible past.

"...Gomenasai." She said.

I loved how sincere she was. No human has ever been so kind to me before.

"...Let's go home, Masame-chan." I finally said.

"Hai."

I wrapped my arms around her and we appeared back in the cozy little house.

"Oh right, I made dinner." I finally remembered.

"Alright, let's eat." She smiled.

So now she knows everything. And she doesn't care at all. Humans. I really can't understand them.

~To be Continued~

A/N: Is it going too fast? :(


	5. Feelings

Light in the Dark

Chapter 4

"Ren, it's time for school!" Masame called out as she slipped on her lavender shoes to complete her pink shirt and denim pants ensamble.

"Hai, coming." He put his black sling bag on top of the sleeve of his blue shirt, slipped one hand into the pocket of his khaki pants and met her at the entrance.

"Shall we go?" She smiled.

"Yeah." He put on his blue rubber shoes, took her hand and they left.

"You know Masame, I feel bad for Wanyuudou." He told her from the passenger's seat.

"Is he the one who turned into the doll?" She said without letting her eyes leave the road even for a second.

"Yeah. How long has it been now?" He asked as he combed his black hair with his fingers.

"I'm not sure. Maybe a month?" She said as she used one hand to tuck her long brown hair that she let loose behind her ear.

"That sure is long. I'm surprised you haven't decided yet." He took the doll into his hand.

"Hey buddy, are you okay there?" He asked the doll.

"...My neck is so stiff..." The old man complained.

"Deal with it!" Ren laughed.

"It's not funny kid!"

"It's funny to me!" He replied to the straw doll.

"Ren, stop it." She tried to stiffle a laugh.

"Oh, alright." He winked at her. "So, about your decision?" He became more serious.

"Well, I'm having a hard time deciding because I keep thinking about the pros and cons." She sighed.

"Well then, tell me." He said, putting the doll down by the windshield.

"If I do send her to Hell, she'll never terrorize anyone again, and I will avenge my family. But then I would go to Hell and I'd never see them ever again. Then if I don't send her to Hell, she'll continue her horrible deeds. But I would be able to meet my family in Heaven. I'm just so confused by it all, so I'm sorry, Wanyuudou-san." She sighed.

"I understand. Don't worry about it." The old man's voice rang with an understanding tone.

"Arigato gozaimasu." She giggled.

"We're here!" She parked the car and took her bag.

"Wanyuudou-san, will you watch the car while we're at school?" Masame said before opening the door.

"Of course. Have fun now." He replied with a deep, yet kind sounding voice.

"Hai!" She smiled before Ren opened her door for her.

"He really is a nice guy." She smiled at Ren.

"Yeah, he has his soft spots..." He closed his eye and smiled.

"Well then, I'll see you at lunch. I made your favorite." Ren grinned.

"Ebi tempura?! Yahoo! You rock!" She hugged her awesome friend.

She blushed slightly, and quickly kissed Ren on the cheek, causing him to turn a dark shade of red.

"See you later!" She smiled and ran off.

He stood there mesmerized by the girl's action. He held his cheek, smiled and went on his way.

"She really is cute..." He told himself.

~Lunch~

The two met at their usual spot under the sakura tree. Ren took out two boxes and handed one to Masame.

"Itedakimasu!" She smiled at the sight of tempura.

"Enjoy." He smiled.

"Sugoi! This is delicious Ren!" Her eyes sparkled.

"Glad you like it." He smiled.

They sat there and ate in silence. Not an awkward silence, but more of a peaceful one. The wind gently blew a few leaves off the tree and onto the ground. And then one lone flower was blown off it's branch. The pink flower slowly floated down in the middle of a sea of green. The broad petals were beautifully sprawled out on the ground when it landed. Two hands reached out to take it. One thin hand with long, slender fingers touched the other, bigger, rougher hand. They had held hands many times before, but for some reason this touch made both of them turn ruby red.

They looked each other in the eyes. Their hearts were pounding inside their chests and time stood still for one second.

They both turned brighter shades of red, if even possible, and they quickly turned away.

_'Wh...what is this? Why is my heart throbbing? Wait, I thought I didn't __**have **__a heart...' _Ren thought as he turned his head ever so slightly, to take a quick glimpse of the human that made him feel so confused. The girl that made him feel this weird and unfamiliar feeling.

_'Wh...what's wrong with me? I don't think I ever felt this way before... Have I?' _Masame was also deep in thought. She looked down at the lunch that Ren made especially for her. '_Don't tell me that... I...' _She thought some more as she felt her cheek getting hotter with one hand.

"S…Sorry…" Ren whispered.

"No, i… it's okay…" She whispered back.

"...We should go, it's time for class…" He said while standing up, trying to change the subject.

"Ah, y… yeah…" She agreed, and packed up her lunch.

"Need a hand?" He reached out and smiled.

"Thanks." She took his hand and stood up.

"Well, see you after class…" He said, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, see you later…" She blushed and walked to her class.

'_What's up with me today?' _Ren thought to himself.

~After class, Masame's car~

"So, I was thinking of going to Ojou's when we get home. Would you like to come?" Ren asked the only human who constantly went to the Eternal Twilight.

"I'd love to!" She replied.

They reached their simple cream colored house and put their bags down.

"You don't have any homework, do you?" Ren asked as he put down his things.

"No, do you?" Masame returned the question.

"None. So then, let's go!" He smiled.

He took her by the hand and they appeared in their familiar after-school hang-out.

"Oh, Yamaoka-chan, you're back." Hone-Onna smiled.

"Hi Hone-Onna!" She smiled back.

"Wanyuudou-san, why don't you use your human body for awhile, so you can stretch and all." She brought out the straw doll.

A second later, the doll turned back into the nice old man wearing his old-fashioned kimono, red scarf and hat.

"Aaaah! It feels good to stretch! Arigato, Yamaoka-san." He bowed slightly.

"So does that mean you are ending the contract?" Ai suddenly asked.

"Ah! Enma-san, when did you get here? Well, no I'm not ending the contract. I just felt bad for Wanyuudou-san because he was in that doll form for how long now." She explained.

"…Come inside. I want to talk to you." Ai suddenly said and walked towards the house.

Masame of course, followed her inside.

"What is it?" Masame asked as she sat down on the wooden floor.

"You've been coming here very often." She looked at Masame neither with a smile nor a frown.

"Hai… Is there something about my coming here that bothers you?"

"No, it's not that. It's just…"

"What is it?"

"It is obvious that you are taking some time to decide." She said with her usual airy voice.

"Yes, I know... If it's annoying..."

"No, I'm not saying that. You are... a record-breaking client. Not only have you had the doll for over a month, you always come here. This... isn't like most clients, that's all." She said as she got up and walked closer to Masame.

"Is...that a bad thing?" She stood up as well.

"No, but I want to tell you something." She said as she stood a foot away from the taller 19-year-old.

"What is it, Enma-san?"

"Onegai..." She said as she looked straight into Masame's lavender eyes.

"Ne?"

"You come here very often... We get to talk to each other a lot."

"Yes, I suppose..." Masame was confused.

"That is why..." She closed her big, round, crimson eyes.

"...Nani?"

"That is why... I would like to consider you..." She opened her eyes again.

"My friend." She said with a smile barely noticable, but nonetheless, a smile.

"Enma-san..." Masame said, surprised by the rare expression on the Jigoku Shoujo's face.

"Please... Friends need not be so formal." There was that smile again.

"Hai... Gomene... Ai-chan." Masame smiled.

"Would you like to join me in the pond?" She reached out her hand.

"Sure. But... I didn't bring clothes." She remembered.

"That won't be a problem." Ai said and in an instant Masame had a white kimono just like the one Ai uses in the pond.

"Ah! Arigato!" Masame smiled again. She was obviously used to these inhuman actions.

They stepped out of the house and headed for the pond. Ren, Hone-Onna and Wanyuudou stood in the huge field of red flowers some meters away.

The two new friends walked to the pond whilst talking to each other. As they passed by the 3 Hellmates, Ai smiled that tiny smile again at Masame.

"Ah!" Ren was surprised.

"Is that what I think it is?" Hone-Onna was equally mesmerized.

"Yep. Ojou... Is smiling." Wanyuudou grinned.

"Well I'll be..." Hone-Onna couldn't help but be happy.

"Masame... She really is something else..." Ren sighed.

"Hey, I think I know what that's supposed to mean." Wanyuudou teased.

"Ooh, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hone-Onna joined in.

"Wh...what are you talking about?" Ren was starting to blush.

"I saw what happened this morning." Wanyuudou grinned.

"Ooh, tell me, tell me!" Hone-Onna sure was excited.

"Right before they parted ways, I saw Yamaoka-san kiss Ren on the cheek." He teased more.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Hone-Onna laughed.

"Hey, quit it! It's not my fault that I don't understand what this feeling is!" Ren pouted.

"Well, describe it, we'll help you. We _were_ human once you know." Hone-Onna patted his back.

"Well... You know that we're used to holding each other's hands right?" Ren sighed as he remembered what had happened at lunch.

"Yeah, what about it?" Hone-Onna asked.

"Well, earlier at lunch, we reached out for something at the same time and our hands touched. I don't know why, but I felt my heart pounding and my cheeks were burning up. I don't know what's wrong with me!" Ren was obviously unaccustomed to these feelings.

"It's called love, kid." Wanyuudou pulled his hat over his eyes.

"Huh? But I thought love was when you liked something a lot." Oh Ren...

"Exactly." Hone-Onna winked.

"No, I thought it meant like as in, you know, favorite food or trait or something! I didn't know it meant for people too!" Ren was going nuts!

"So then you admit it?" Wanyuudou asked.

"Admit what?" Ren was absolutely stunned.

"That you really like her, silly." Hone-Onna giggled.

"I... I don't know... I mean... Agh, I'm so confused!" He gripped his head with his hands.

"Aw, c'mon Ren, we won't tell." Hone-Onna smiled.

"C'mon kid, you can trust us." Wanyuudou smiled one of his famous shiny smiles.

"Well, okay... I guess it's the only logical explanation..." He sighed and put both hands in his pockets.

"That you like her?" Hone-Onna tried to sum up what Ren said.

"No... That... I love her." Ren sighed and sat down.

"Y'know kid, you should really tell her how you feel..." Wanyuudou sat down as well.

"But what if the feeling isn't mutual?" He groaned.

"Trust me, it is." Hone-Onna joined them and sat down.

"How do you know?" Ren asked.

"I just do." She winked.

~At the pond~

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Masame said as she looked at the 3 sitting in the field.

"Hm?" Ai looked at what her friend was looking at.

"Hone-Onna and Wanyuudou-san are laughing..." Masame said as she combed her long brown hair.

"But Ren doesn't look like he's having so much fun..." Ai noticed.

"I wonder what's wrong with him..." She stared at him. Her expression slowly changed from pondering to admiring.

Ai immediately noticed. "...You like him." She said as she looked at Masame.

"Wh...What?!" She panicked.

"You like Ren." She teased(which Masame wasn't quite sure of, thanks to the emotionless voice).

"What made you say that?" Masame said as she buried her face in her hands.

"You blush when you look at him. And when you talk about him or glance at him, your expression changes." Ai laid out the obvious facts.

"I do?! Aw, man!" She let herself sink into the water.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about..." Ai said as she lay back and let her long ebony black hair float on the surface of the water.

"What do I do...?" Masame sat back up.

"You should go talk to him." Ai stared up at the eternally red-orange sky.

"I can't... I'm too scared..." She sighed.

"Well in the end, the decision is yours, and yours alone." She stood up and let the water drip from her kimono.

"You're right... Arigato, Ai-chan." Masame stood up and did the same.

"Of course... Masame-chan." Ai led her guest back to the house.

"...Ai-chan, I've been wondering..."

"Hai?"

"If the 3 of them are busy with my absolutely long case, how do you answer the other clients that look for you?"

"Since Ren lives with you and Wanyuudou is the doll you possess, Hone-Onna, Kikuri and I personally investigate. Hone-Onna is always the doll though." Ai explained and changed back to her sailor uniform instantly.

"Who's Kikuri?" She asked as Ai used her power to dress Masame up with clean clothes.

"I am!" A little girl wearing a dark blue long-sleeved kimono with a purple sash suddenly appeared. Her short hair curled outwards and she fiddled with the red flower in her brown locks. Her large purple eyes stared intently into Masame's smaller, lighter ones.

"Oh! Hello. Strange we haven't met before..." Masame said as she bent down to look at the girl.

"I thought so myself..." Ai looked down at the girl.

"I was busy playing, is that so bad?" She smiled such an innocent little smile.

"No of course not." Masame smiled and patted the little girl's head.

"So is this the girl that you said comes here a lot?" She asked Ai.

"Hai. She's the one who's had the doll for over a month now."

"Why don't you just pull it?" Kikuri asked.

"It's not that simple..." She sighed.

"Yes it is! Just take one hand and hold the end of the string..." She said as she pretended to pull the string of an imaginary doll.

"Kikuri." Ai warned her.

"Oh alright." She pouted.

"Why don't you go play Kikuri?" Ai asked.

"Okay!" She smiled and ran out the door.

"She really is quite troublesome, isn't she?" Ai's grandmother asked from behind her screen.

"Hai." Ai nodded.

"But she seems kinda cute." Masame smiled.

"..." Both Ai and her grandmother didn't respond.

~To Be Continued~


	6. Misunderstandings

Light in the Dark

Chapter 5

"So then, lunch at our usual spot?" Ren asked.

"Of course! I'll see you later." Masame smiled and walked to her class.

_'So they like each other that much, huh?' _Hiiraga thought as she spied from behind a pillar.

~Animation classroom: A few minutes before class started~

"Hey Kyo, wanna help me out?" Hiiraga asked one of her accomplices she called "friends".

"Are we gonna ruin someone's life again?" He combed his messy dark brown hair out of his emerald eyes.

"Of course. Seems Yamaoka's still happy somehow. This is not a good thing." Hiiraga looked at the girl she hated.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. She's lost her family and her house, but now she has a caring boyfriend she lives with." Sumi, another part of the group joined in.

"So, what did you have in mind?" Kyo leaned back in his chair.

"Let's break 'em up." Tsunee Hiiraga, voted most vile in her school, laughed.

"How? That Ichimoku guy isn't very easy to seduce. And if we sent Kyo to flirt with Yamaoka, she'd obviously know it's a set-up." Sumi rolled her brown eyes.

"Well, what if we sent someone else to flirt with her?" Kyo sat up straight again.

"...What are you thinking?" Tsunee grinned.

"I'm tight with pretty much all the guys in our class." He looked around the classroom.

"Hmm... Are you close to Minako Ryuu?" Sumi flipped her medium-length red hair.

"Yeah, why?" Kyo looked around and spotted said guy.

"That's right! Not only is he one of the hottest guys in class, I heard that Yamaoka had a crush on him in 1st year. Who knows, maybe she still does." Tsunee's rose red lips curved up in a smile.

"You're a genius. No wonder you're my girlfriend." Kyo smirked and kissed Tsunee on the cheek. After that, got up and walked over to the black-haired heartthrob.

"Hey, Ryuu." Kyo stood next to his desk.

"Kyo. What's up?" He looked at Kyo with his dark blue eyes.

"Hey, you know Yamaoka-san right?" Kyo looked over at the girl who was busily studying her notes.

"Yeah, she's kinda cute. Why, got any dirt on her?" He smirked.

"Sure do. I heard she likes you. You should go talk to her, you'd make a good couple." Kyo leaned on the table.

"But doesn't she have a boyfriend? The one in culinary?" He sighed.

"Nah, they're just friends. Go for it dude! She eats by the lonely sakura tree in the middle of the field every lunch." He looked out the window.

"Alright, will do. Thanks for the heads up." They high-fived and Kyo walked back to his friends.

"Mission accomplished." He sat down and leaned back.

~At lunch~

"Yamaoka-san?" Ryuu approached the girl after the teacher left.

"Ah, M...Minako-san..."

"Hey, just call me Ryuu." He smiled.

"Ah, w...well in that case, just call me M... Masame..." She looked down to hide her red face.

"Hey, no need to be so shy, buttercup." He held her face and made her face him.

"Ah..." She shut her eyes tight.

"You're so cute when you're acting shy and all." He teased her.

She didn't reply.

"Wanna have lunch with me?" He smiled seductively.

"Ah, I... have other plans, you see..." She thought of Ren.

"Aw forget him. You're with me, honey." He put his face inches from her's.

"Ah... w...well, I guess... Just this once..."

_'I __**have**__ had a crush on him since first year... But wait, I thought Ai said I liked Ren? Ahh... Well, I live with him anyway... So... Maybe just once...'_ Masame thought.

They walked together out of the classroom and to the field. Instead of staying by the tree, Ryuu planned to take Masame to a bench and table near the entrance of the building.

At that moment, Ren came out of the school building to meet Masame. He planned to talk to her about how he felt.

_'Ah there she is!' _He thought when he saw her. Little did he know someone had taken the girl he loved.

"Hey, Mas--" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Masame and Ryuu hand in hand.

"Wh...What the..." He said to himself.

She was with another guy. They were holding hands. They were laughing.

_'But I thought Hone-Onna said it was mutual...' _He thought to himself.

_'I knew it...' _He sighed and walked to the tree alone with two lunches in hand.

"Ryuu-kun, what made you want to talk to me anyway?" Masame asked as she ate the lunch he bought for her.

"Nothing, I always thought you were cute." He winked.

"Stop flattering me..." She blushed.

"But you really are cute." He leaned towards her.

"Ryuu-kun..."

"Hey, I heard the school's gonna have a dance. Wanna go with me?" He brought out a flyer and gave it to her.

"Through the Times…" She read out the title.

"It's going to be a mix of newer dances like those half-hip-hop dances and old dances like waltzes. So it's a semi-formal event. Would you like to come with me?" He smiled.

"I'd--" She suddenly remembered about Ren.

"I'll think about it. Thanks for the offer." She smiled.

"Alright, let me know." He winked.

She packed up her lunch and stood up. "It's time for class." She reminded him.

"Alright. Let's go." He did the same.

They walked down the path that was completely in Ren's view.

"...I never should have thought I had a chance..." He sighed. He then stood up and went back to class.

During a 5 minute break he had, he decided to take a peek at Masame's class.

He closed his eye and the giant emerald eye appeared on the ceiling of the animation classroom. They were having a break too. He then spotted Kyo and Ryuu talking. He knew that Kyo was no good so he decided to listen in.

"Hey, did you go talk to Yamaoka-san?" Kyo asked.

"Yeah, she's really cute! Thanks for telling me she likes me dude." Ryuu smiled.

_'That dirty...' _Ren thought. The giant eye closed and disappeared.

_'So now she wants to try to ruin our relationship... I gotta tell Masame. No, wait, I can't! If she really __**does**__ like that guy, she'll think I'm just trying to ruin her chances! Aw man, what will I do?'_ He was thinking very hard. Maybe too hard...

~After class; in the car~

"Hey Ren, you've been quiet the whole trip... Something wrong?" Masame noticed.

"Ah, n...no, it's nothing..." He looked out the window.

"Is it because of lunch time? Ren, I'm really sorry, but Ryuu-kun suddenly came up to me, and I had a bit of a crush on him last year, and then when he talked to me it sorta came back and... Oh Ren, I'm reeeaaally sorry..." She sighed.

"Yeah, I know why he suddenly came up to you..." He mumbled.

"What did you say Ren?" She asked.

"...Nothin'..." He leaned back in his seat.

~Eternal Twilight~

"Something wrong, Ren?" Hone-Onna approached the dazed one-eyed man.

"...ma...sa...me..." He quietly muttered.

"Oh dear, I saw what happened earlier. But, maybe it was just by chance!" She tried to reassure him.

"...You said it was mutual..." He said monotonously.

"It is! The lunch was set-up, remember? Hiiraga is trying to ruin you two!" She tried to snap him out of his trance.

"I know that!" He shouted angrily.

"...I know... But if I told her, she'd think I was just being jealous..." He said in a quieter tone. He went to the Eternal Twilight alone this time.

"Then I could tell her." Hone-Onna said with determination.

"Do what you want." He sighed.

"Alright, I will! C'mon, we're going to your house, now!" She pulled him and they disappeared.

They appeared in the kitchen where Masame conveniently was.

"Oh Ren, you're back! Huh? Hone-Onna? What's up? Would you like to join us for dinner?" She smiled.

"Sure, I'd love to." She smiled back. She didn't want to go and attack her right away.

"Hey Ren, why didn't you tell me that you were going to Ai-chan's place? I would've come with you." She asked as she set the table.

"I had something I had to do, I'm sorry." He said without looking her in the eyes.

"Oh, okay…" She nervously agreed. Something was up.

"Yamaoka-chan, about awhile ago…" Hone-Onna didn't want to see them like this.

"Awhile ago… In school?" She asked with her chopsticks in her mouth.

"Hai. I saw you at lunch. Who was that boy you were with?" She asked with an expression that looked more like "weirded out" than "excited".

"Ryuu-kun? Oh, he was my crush in first year. I don't know why he suddenly came to talk to me though…" Masame said.

"Well Ren does!" She stood up and slammed the table.

"Wh…what?" Masame asked, shocked.

"Tell her Ren!" Hone-Onna angrily said as she looked at the young man slumping in his seat.

"…Why?" He asked.

"R…Ren!" Hone-Onna said, appalled by the young man's response.

"Ren, what's going on?" Masame asked, worried about her friend.

"Why should I tell her? She likes her new boyfriend doesn't she?" He said with a bored look on his face.

"B…Boyfriend?!" Masame exclaimed.

"Yeah, you like him, don't you?" He said as he finished his food.

"Well, I did, in first year. He's a nice guy, maybe we can be friends…" She said.

"Then why were you blushing when you were with him huh?!" He stood up and asked angrily.

"Ren, why do you seem so affected?!" She stood up as well.

"Because you didn't see what I saw!" He shouted.

"Then why don't you tell her then?!" Hone-Onna asked.

"Because I doubt I would be believed!" He shouted again.

"But Ren… Why wouldn't I believe you?" Masame calmed down.

"Because I bet you would think I was just jealous." He also quieted down.

"Ren, just tell her already." Hone-Onna crossed her arms.

"Alright… I looked at your class after lunch, and I saw Ryuu talking with Kyo. You know, Hiiraga's boyfriend?" He explained.

"Oh no…" She sighed. "I knew there was a reason why he talked to me." She shook her head.

"So… You're not mad?" He asked, his cheeks slightly red.

"Of course not. In fact, I'm glad you told me." She smiled.

"Well, I'm glad that's over!" Hone-Onna sighed.

"Oh hey, Ren, you know the school's holding a dance sometime soon." Masame remembered and handed him the flyer she received earlier.

"Is that an invitation?" He looked at her and smiled.

"I'm glad that you're smiling again." She smiled back.

"Alright, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then. Sayonara!" Hone-Onna winked and then disappeared.

"…Did she just call us lovebirds?" Masame asked while a drop of sweat travelled down her cheek.

~To be Continued~


	7. Preparation

Light in the Dark

Chapter 6

"Masame…" Ren whispered to himself as she locked arms with Ryuu.

"Sorry Ren. Even though I met him because of Hiiraga, Ryuu-kun really is cute. And he's nice. I think I really want to try going out with him! So, I'll see you later!" Masame smiled at him, causing a painful feeling in his chest.

"You lose, buddy boy." Ryuu smirked and taunted as they walked away.

"Masame… Masame!" Ren started to run after the fading figures.

"Masame!!!" He screamed louder.

He tripped and fell to the ground, letting the two newfound lovers get away.

"Ma…sa…me…" His voice cracked as tears started to form in his eyes.

The rain suddenly poured and soaked poor Ren. Lightning and thunder filled the sky as he sat on his heels, absolutely helpless.

"I… wasn't good enough… That's it… Game… over… Masame… Doushite…?" He continued to mumble nonsense to himself until he could no longer take it.

"Masame… Doushite?! Am I not good enough for you?! Is that it?!" He stood up and yelled at his non-existent lover.

He let his head hang low, knowing that she couldn't hear him.

"Masame… Masame!" He gripped both sides of his head and shook it violently.

"MASAME!!!" He screamed as he bolted up from his bed.

"Ren, are you okay?" Masame came into his room and rushed over to him.

"M…Masame?" Ren looked up and saw the brunette there, smiling.

"Whatever it was you saw, it wasn't real, okay?" Masame said as she hugged the now adorably vulnerable Ren and wiped his tear-stained face.

He quieted down from the warm feeling of her hand on his back. He took in and let out a few shaky breaths and he let himself sink into her touch.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Masame said as she pat his back.

"…You might think it's silly." He hesitated.

"I won't. I promise." She made him look at her and she smiled.

"…Well… I dreamt that you left me for Ryuu. You were saying things like you think you'd like him more and didn't need me…" His breath became shaky again after explaining his dream.

"Ren, you know I'd never do that right?" She stroked his hair.

"But it all seemed so real…" He sighed.

"But you know that it isn't now, right?" She asked him sweetly.

He nodded with his head hanging low, feeling too ashamed to face her.

"Now, go back to sleep, okay?" Masame requested as she got up to go back to her room.

"Don't leave…" Ren pleaded.

"Ren…" She looked at him questioningly.

"Can you at least stay here until I fall asleep?" Ren gave her a puppy dog look.

"Ren, you're acting like a child." She giggled. "But, fine." She agreed.

She took a small music box from Ren's dresser. As she winded it up, Ren lay back down and pulled the sheets up to his chest. Masame put the music box down again and let its simple and soothing melody play.

She sat down next to Ren to assure him she wouldn't leave him like she did in his dream. She stroked his hair with her fingers again, closed her eyes and sang along with the tune of the music box for him.

(This is a youtube link. :D .com/watch?v=rn2vrTx_5Wc)

When she finished her song, she looked down and saw that Ren was fast asleep, with a smile on his face. She smiled as well and sighed. He looked so cute in his sleep. She leaned down towards him, brushed his bangs away from his face (revealing his other eye), and kissed him on the forehead. She then stood up and walked to the door.

Before she shut it, she looked at him and whispered, "Sleep well, Ren."

~The Next Morning: Breakfast~

"Masame… What was with the lullaby choice last night?" Ren asked as he ate.

"Well, not all the lyrics may match, but it's a very nice and soothing song, right?" She smiled.

"That's true…" He smiled with chopsticks in his mouth.

"The title is "You Are My Love", right?" Ren said with a slight brush of red on his face.

"That's right…" Masame blushed as well.

They kept silent for a few seconds, just staring at each other, blushing.

Masame then decided to break the silence. "So… any plans for today?" She asked, since it was a weekend.

"Not really. But you're going shopping and stuff with Michino-san right?" He replied as he stood up to wash the plates.

"Hai! We're going to eat lunch together and hang out." Masame smiled as she stood up to help Ren.

He took the plate from her and said, "I'll take care of this. Why don't you go and get ready for your day?"

"Alright. Arigato gozaimasu!" She hugged him and ran off to her room.

Later on, while Masame and her nee-chan bonded, Ren went to the Eternal Twilight. Let's check on Masame shall we?

"Nee-chan, look! Aren't those shoes so cute?" Masame smiled and pointed to a pair of baby pink slip-ons.

"You want 'em?" Michino smiled.

"Eh?! Demo… Nee-chan, isn't it expensive?" Masame shied away from the offer.

"Nah, it's alright. Besides, I owe you a birthday gift, remember?" She took out her wallet.

"…I really can't change your mind, can I?" She laughed.

Meanwhile, at the Eternal Twilight...

"So you had a nightmare, huh?" Hone asked.

"Yeah… It was realistic though… Damn, now that I think about it, I was completely OOC." He crossed his arms and sighed.

"Well, dreams can really do that to you kid." Wanyuudou said.

"…You don't think it'll come true, do you?" Ren asked with a worried look on his face.

"Naruhodou. You really do love that girl, don't you?" Wanyuudou chuckled.

"I-It's not funny." He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You gotta tell her Ren." Hone smiled.

"Wh-What?!" Ren's pupil shrank.

"I'm serious!" She giggled.

"No way." He crossed his arms again.

"Why not?" Kikuri decided to join in the fun.

"None of your business kid." He looked away.

"Aw, c'mon Ren! You're no fun." Kikuri pouted and crossed her tiny arms.

"For once, I'm on the brat's side. You should tell her." Wanyuudou smirked.

"When should I?" He asked with a slight blush.

"How about during the dance next week?" Hone-Onna suggested.

"... Alright, I'll do it." He sighed. Not an exasperated one, but more of a relieved one. Relieved that he's finally going to get this burden off his chest.

"Wait a minute… What am I going to wear?!" He suddenly asked.

"As if it's such a problem! C'mon, I'm taking you shopping!" Hone-Onna pulled his arm.

"B-But Masame and Michino-san are shopping right now! We might bump into them!" He suddenly remembered and his face suddenly flushed.

"All the better! Let's go!" She teased, and with that they disappeared.

"Well this looks like it's gonna be fun." Wanyuudou smirked.

~Human world: Shopping center~

"Alright… Do you want a tux, or a dress shirt with slacks?" Hone-Onna twirled her hair which was now in a ponytail.

"I'd rather go with a tux." Ren smirked.

"Alright then, come with me." She smiled and walked towards a fancy looking shop. Ren of course, followed her.

They entered the shop and saw rows and rows of different kinds of outfits for special occasions. Ren was overwhelmed with the variety and quantity of the store's stocks.

"Welcome. What is it that you are looking for today?" The sales clerk smiled at them.

"He's looking for something for a school dance. Preferably a tux. You have any suggestions?" Hone-Onna asked.

"I think I've got just the thing…" The clerk said as she went into the storage room.

Meanwhile, Masame and Michino had just finished their little shopping trip.

"Well we sure did splurge today…" Masame said as she looked at all of their bags.

"Well, you can't really blame anyone, can you? Everything was just so… Awesome!" Michino laughed.

"You're right!" Masame laughed along.

"… Hey, isn't that your boyfriend over there?" Michino smirked and pointed to the frantic Ren who was looking for his "perfect" outfit.

Masame's face went completely red at her sister's comment. "HE'S **NOT** MY BOYFRIEND!" She quickly defended.

"No need to be so loud, sis." She teased.

"Anyway, what do you think he's doing?" She asked her.

"I dunno." Masame said.

"_Huh? Hone-Onna's with him. Hmm… what's going on?" _Masame wondered.

"Well, do you wanna go and say hi?" Michino asked.

"Uhm, sure, I guess." She said with an absolutely uncertain tone.

The two approached the panicky shoppers and greeted them.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Masame smiled.

"M-Masame! I was hoping you wouldn't find out…" Ren mumbled the last line.

"Why's that?" She asked.

"Well, this was supposed to be a surprise… I was shopping for what I'd wear to the dance and Hone-Onna here was helping me pick an outfit." He explained.

"But now that you know, why don't you help us?" Hone-Onna suggested.

"Sure! I need to look for an outfit myself…" Masame remembered.

"I'll help you too." Michino said.

"Great! Alright then, who should we work on first? Masame or Ren?" Hone-Onna asked Michino.

"I think we should work on Ren." Michino giggled.

"Alright then. He told me he wanted a tux. You see any good ones?" Hone asked.

"Mm…" Michino went around and picked one suit out. "How about this one?" She said.

"Mmm… That's not really what I was looking for…" Ren said.

"Oh, alright then… How about this one?"

~Some time later~

"That's it! That's exactly what I was looking for!" Ren said happily.

"Well, FINALLY!" Hone-Onna said, exhausted.

"Alright, go ask the clerk for your size, while we work on Masame." Michino smiled.

"Hai. Arigato gozaimasu!" Ren thanked the two girls and approached the sales clerk.

"Okay then sis, what is it that you're looking for?" Michino put her hands on her hips and faced her little friend.

"Well, nothing in particular… I guess, something that goes with what Ren's wearing." She blushed a little and looked down at her feet.

"Alright, this'll be much easier." Hone-Onna laughed a little.

~After some time~

"I love this one." Masame held up a dress and smiled.

"Alright then, let's go get your size, pay, and let's go home. I'm beat!" Michino giggled.

…

"Thank you for shopping with us! Come again!" The sales clerk said as the 4 of them left the shop.

"Alright then, let's bring Michino-san home first, then we can go home too." Ren said.

"Well, I'll be going ahead then. See you guys around." Hone-Onna said.

"Alright then. See ya." Ren said.

"Bye Hone-Onna!" Masame smiled.

"See you again sometime." Michino smiled at her.

And with that, she disappeared.

"I really love how you don't find any of this weird nee-chan." Masame smiled at Michino.

"Well sure, life can really be weird sometimes, so I accept anything that comes my way." She explained and smiled back.

The three of them got into Masame's car and they were off.

~Ren and Masame's house, later that evening~

"So, what would you like for dinner?" Ren asked as he took off his shoes and hung his bag on the rack.

"Anything is fine with me." Masame said as she did the same.

"Just call me when it's ready." She said as she picked up the shopping bags and headed for the stairs.

"Sure." He said as he went to the kitchen to start cooking.

~To be continued~

A/N: Yeah, sorry, I know I haven't written in a while and this one's just a filler. Sorry. :D I'll start working on the next chapter right away. :)


	8. Unexpected

A/N: I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN FOREVER. To say sorry, this chapter will be extra awesome just for you people who read this. ;) Enjoy!

P.S. If you have any protests to make, this is my story okay, so in my imagination, this is how things work, so just read it as is okay? Okay! On to the story!

Light in the Dark

Chapter 7

"I can't believe it's already the night of the dance…" Masame told herself as she smoothed out her dress. She sat down in front of the mirror to retouch her hair and makeup. She had curled her hair and put it up in a cute, messy bun for the occasion. Her make-up was light, but beautiful and matched her golden gown perfectly. She applied a little lip gloss for her finishing touch when she heard a knock on the door.

"Masame, are you ready?" Ren asked from outside.

"Yeah, just a second…" She replied as she got up. She took her silver sequined purse and opened the door of her room, revealing an adorable Ren who was all tidy in his suave tuxedo. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He smiled, took a step back and bowed, with one hand extended.

"Shall we?" He smirked. Masame giggled and took his hand and they walked to the car.

"I'll drive. I don't want you to ruin your new heels after all." Ren chuckled, grabbing the keys from the table by the main door.

"Alright then." She smiled and walked over to the passenger's side, when her gentleman of a date opened the door for her. She nodded with a courteous, "Why, thank you." And giggled as she got in. He closed the door slowly, making sure her dress didn't get caught. He got into the driver's seat and they were off.

Ren parked the car and again opened Masame's door for her. She took his hand and they walked into the dance's venue. All eyes were on them, as they seemed like the perfect couple. The girls glared at Masame's simple, yet sparkly, spaghetti strap dress with envy while the guys looked at Ren's formal get-up with adoration. The couple blushed as they stole everyone's attention.

On the farther side of the room, Tsunee, Kyo, Sumi and Ryuu stood by the buffet table.

"I thought you said she liked me…" Ryuu grumbled.

"Well she did in first year so I thought she still did!" Tsunee rolled her eyes.

"Besides, you don't need her anymore, you've got me now!" Sumi clung onto his arm.

"… Yeah, you're right." He smiled and ruffled his new girlfriend's hair. She giggled and snuggled up on his shoulder.

"Tsunee, what are you planning to do to her this time?" Kyo asked as a sly grin formed on his girlfriend's face.

"This one, I really thought hard of." She laughed evilly as she brought out a long, sheathed dagger from her purse.

"You're gonna kill her?" He asked nonchalantly.

"No, I'm going to kill her boyfriend. If I kill her, her suffering would end. But if I kill those that she loves, then her life would be wrapped in pure anguish." She licked her red lips and grinned.

Her crew just nodded in agreement when Kyo suddenly wrapped his arms around her.

"How do you plan on killing him though?" He whispered into her ear.

"I'll find a way. I always do." She glared at the dancing couple and laughed inwardly.

On the dance floor, everyone was having fun bobbing their heads to "I've Gotta Feeling" by "The Black Eyed Peas". There were smiles all around as the song ended. The emcee's voice then echoed through the hall, announcing that they were gonna play some more fun tunes to jive to.

"Wanna come with me outside?" Ren asked Masame softly.

"Sure, but what for?" She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"You'll see." He smiled sweetly and took her hand in his. He led her out to their favorite tree and like how he did back at their house, bent over, with one hand extended. "May I have this dance?" He smiled.

"What are we dancing to?" She asked as she took his hand and placed her free one on his shoulder.

"Whatever song that's playing in your heart." He said, laughing at how cheesy he was being.

"Alright then." She smiled and pulled herself closer to him. They waltzed on a steady rhythm, looking down at their feet, into each other's eyes and at their feet again. They both smiled as they danced to the tune of the song only they could hear.

This moment was perfect. It was everything either of them ever wanted. Ren embraced Masame as they continued waltzing when he whispered into her ear. "Masame…"

"What is it Ren?" She whispered back, nuzzling her head on his shoulder.

"… Living with you over this span of time… It's definitely been… A very… different… experience for me…" He said nervously.

"And is that a good thing?" She giggled.

"Of course it is! What I mean is… Uhm… You know… I've never been this close to a human before… I never thought that I could ever…" He cut himself off.

"Never thought that you could what?" She smiled at him.

"… I never thought that… I'd… Uhm, Masame, can I tell you something?" He stuttered.

"Of course." She smiled sweetly.

"You see, after spending so much time with you, I've realized that… This thing I feel, I've never felt it before… Hone-Onna tried to explain it to me, and I never thought that…" He was lost in his confession. "You know what, forget it, I'm just gonna come out and say it." He laughed at himself and looked into Masame's eyes.

"Say what?" She looked back at him cluelessly.

"Yamaoka Masame… I, Ichimoku Ren… think that… No, I know that… Masame, I lo—" He was cut off.

His grip on Masame tightened and he suddenly let go. His world suddenly slowed down and everything blurred. His pupil shrank, his body was trembling, and he staggered backwards, his hands travelling to the part of his body that had suddenly stopped him. He felt something, he knew what it was, but he looked down anyway to make sure.

And there, a bloody dagger had stabbed through his upper back and through his heart. He looked at his bloody hands as his knees gave way and he fell to the grass.

"Ren!" Masame screamed as she knelt down next to him.

He fell to his side on the grass, his breathing uneven and rugged.

Masame took the dagger's handle and slowly pulled it out as Ren screamed in agony.

She looked at the bloody piece of steel and saw a message engraved on the blade.

"_Who's gonna save you now?" _It read.

Masame's eyes filled with tears and she stabbed the dagger into the ground behind her in anger. She wrapped her arms around her beloved and tried to keep him conscious.

"Ren! Ren!!!" She held his face with both of her hands and waited for a response. His eye opened weakly and he smiled at her as blood trickled down from his lips.

"No… Ren, no!" She cried. She then pulled out Wanyuudou who was in his doll form from her bag and held it in her hands.

"No more… I won't let her do this anymore!" She screamed as she grabbed one end of the string.

"No… Ma…sa…me…!" Ren said weakly, raising a trembling arm and pulling her hand away from the string. "Don't do it… Not… If it's… for me." He said weakly.

"Ren…" She hiccupped as tears continued streaming down her face.

He put his hand on her face and he smiled. "Ma…sa…me… Ai…shi…te…ru…" He said with a smile. His hand fell to the ground as his eye closed and his head fell limp on her lap.

Masame's eyes widened as her pupils shrank. "R…Ren…? …Ren?!" She shouted as she tried to wake him up. She held his wrist; no pulse. She put her hand in front of his face; she couldn't feel him breathing. She put her hand on his bloody chest. No heartbeat.

The tears were flowing from her eyes as she covered her mouth with her now bloody hand. She shook her head in disbelief and buried her face in his lifeless body.

"Ren… No… Why… did you leave me…? Ren… Ren…!" She cried harder.

"Ren, aishiteru! Don't leave me! I love you so much Ren! Please… Don't…leave…me…" She cried silently on his soiled tuxedo and decided she'd stay there for the rest of the night. She didn't want to go home, not without him. Not without his warm smile and friendly aura.

Some meters away, the 4 fiends were watching happily. Tsunee had been laughing maniacally as the others just watched her enjoy every moment of her nemesis' agony.

"Mission accomplished." She smirked and laughed again.

~To be continued~

A/N: that's what I meant in the beginning. My perception of them, you see, is, sure, they're not human, and they can live forever. But that doesn't mean that they can't get hurt physically. So yes, the only way they can die (in here at least) is if they get murdered. Hope that explains things. ;) R&R please!


	9. Miracles

A/N: HIIII GUYS. =D I forgot about this… TT_TT sorry for the mega delay… again. I'm on summer break now, but I'm doing a few things, but hopefully, I'll be able to post more soon. ;) Enjoy. ;)

Light in the Dark

Chapter 8

Masame spent the whole night under the tree with the lifeless body of her once lover resting on the ground. Since the tree was hidden quite for from the main entrance of the school, no one even found out that someone had died on the night of their dance.

She cried herself to sleep on his bloody suit, knowing she'd never be able to survive without him. First her family, now this… Oh how badly she wanted to pull the string, but she had promised Ren she wouldn't.

In the Eternal Twilight, Hone-Onna was pacing back and forth, troubled about how neither of them communicated with them. Usually they would go every night, or if they were tired, they would come the following morning. Finally, because of how lost in thought she was, she bumped into Ai, who was standing by her pond, a more than lifeless expression on her face.

"Ojou, I'm getting worried. Ren and Masame haven't come here yet. I know they went to the dance last night, but… You know, I thought they would come here. Especially because Ren said he was going to confess!" She blurted out. To her surprise, Ai looked up at the woman with her large, crimson eyes and tears started to fall from them.

"O—Ojou?!" Hone said, alarmed by the sudden show of emotion.

"…Come with me…" She finally said, extending her small, pale hand. The woman took it and they went to the human world. Specifically… To the special sakura tree in the school.

"Ojou, what are we doing here?" She asked.

"…Turn around." Hone followed instructions, as she always did, and gasped as she saw Masame, sitting on the ground, dress all creased up, hair in a mess, makeup running all over her face, with Ren's blood-stained, lifeless body by her.

"Oh my God…" Hone said as she clasped her mouth and tears formed in her eyes. "Ren!" She ran over to the couple and knelt down by them. Ai slowly followed and sat on her heels.

"… Ai-chan… Isn't there… Anything… you can do?" Masame looked up at her friend with bloodshot, puffy eyes.

"…This… is not in my power… The only one who can maybe help us…" She cut herself off as she crawled closer to the lifeless body.

"Hone-Onna." She looked at the woman who wearing her teacher outfit.

"Hai, Ojou." She nodded, clutching onto the hand of Ren that wasn't being clutched onto by his lover.

Ai held onto Masame's shoulder and with that, they were teleported to the Eternal Twilight. Wanyuudou turned back into his human-like form and stood by the body, his hat in his hands. Kikuri hid behind them to watch. Sure, she loved to mess with Ren, but if he were dead, who would she bother? They all gathered on the porch of Ai's house, where that one creepy spider would always stay.

Ai looked up at the spider and called to it. "Lord of Hell. Listen to the cries of we who stand before you now. Let it be that he will live once again." She said respectfully.

"And why exactly would we do that?" It asked with an ominous voice.

"He does not deserve death. Not at the peak of his new life. I wish not for his newfound lover to suffer, neither that he be separated from her. Also, I do not wish for the loss of one of my best assistants… and friends." She said.

"Do you truly wish so?"

"Yes my lord." She said with a slight tone of seriousness in her voice.

"So be it then. Let life be restored to this body. Let the spirit of the katana return to him and may he live again." And with that, a strange light enveloped the body of Ren. It spiraled around him, cleaning off all of the blood, repairing the hole pierced right through him, and making it so that it was as if nothing had even happened. With that, the light, and the spider, disappeared.

"Did… did it… work?" Masame asked anxiously.

Finally, his hand twitched, and his eye slowly opened. He turned up to look at Masame, who had tears in her eyes again.

"…Ma…sa…me?" He smiled weakly.

"Oh Ren! You're alive!" She cried out and embraced him tightly.

He embraced her back and smiled.

"I don't know how I would've been able to go on if you were really gone…" She cried.

"…Masame… Please stop crying… I don't want to see you cry, okay?" He smiled and sat up to make it easier for him to embrace his lover.

"…Alright… But please… Never, EVER, leave me again…" She sniffed and hugged him.

"Alright, I won't… I promise." He smiled sweetly and faced the others who were gathered around him.

"…Hey guys." He smiled.

"…You idiot." Hone scoffed, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her blue kimono.

"I'm… glad you're back…" Ai said softly.

"I'm glad to _be_ back Ojou." He bowed his head.

"Alright, I think you two should head back home. A lot has happened and you guys need some rest. Especially you Masame." Hone crossed her arms and looked at the couple.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Ren said as he stood up. He extended his hand to Masame and smiled.

"Shall we?" He chuckled as he reenacted the events that took place in their house the night before.

She took his hand and smiled. She was a mess, and Hone-Onna was right. She needed rest.

"See you guys later." Ren smiled.

Wanyuudou quickly changed back into his doll form and fell into Masame's purse again.

"See you. Take care!" Hone smiled as they disappeared.

Back at their home, Masame had changed into her pajamas and removed the mess of makeup on her face.

"Ren… How are we going to go back to school? Hiiraga thinks that you're dead…" She bit her thumb as she thought.

"Let her believe that the hospital saved me or something. I just can't wait to see the disbelief on her face when she sees me." He laughed.

"Well, you know, now I really don't care anymore. All I care about is that you're back." She said softly, embracing him tightly.

"Me too." He said as he hugged her back, resting his face in her soft hair.

~The next day, at school~

"Well then, I'll see you later." Ren smiled. "Ja, ne."

"Sayonara!" Masame smiled and walked to her classroom. She went to her place, sat down and started fixing her things, like how she usually would.

This of course, did not go unnoticed by the 4 heartless creatures on the other side of the room.

"How… Is she happy…?" Tsunee asked with disbelief.

Kyo sighed and whispered what seemed to be something only Tsunee did not notice. "Ichimoku is alive. You didn't see him drop her off here a few seconds ago?"

"I-Impossible!" Tsunee said, in what sounded like an attempted scream in whisper form.

"It's the truth…" Ryuu shrugged.

"So… What do we do now?" Sumi asked cluelessly.

"Tsk, I'm not so sure myself… Damnit, how in the world…" Tsunee started muttering.

"Doesn't she have a best friend who's like her sister?" Kyo said.

"Yeah she does! Hmm… That gives me an idea…" Tsunee said mischievously.

~Later that day, at the Eternal Twilight~

"Ai-chan… Aren't you getting tired of me?" Masame asked suddenly as the two of them sat on the porch.

"No, of course not… Why would you think that…?" Ai asked.

"Well… I've been your customer for… Who knows how long now… What about your other customers?" She asked.

"Well, Hone-Onna is still here, so she is the one who usually becomes the doll for other customers… Also… Business has been… quite slow, these days… So it really is no trouble…" She said softly.

"Are you sure?" Masame looked at Ai with worry.

"Hai." Ai responded with a very slight smile.

"Yokata…" She sighed with relief.

"And…" Ai spoke again.

"Hai?"

"…I'm glad… to finally… have a friend…" Ai's smile grew.

"So am I." Masame smiled back.

At that, they both looked out at the eternal crimson sky and let out sighs of relief… of happiness… Something neither had experienced in a while.

~To be continued~

A/N: Sorry, I lost ideas again. TT_TT But I'll try to update as soon as possible! And, as much as I hate to say this, I might be ending this story soon… But who knows. :) Again, thank you for reading this chapter. Reviews are very much appreciated! [Except for flames.]


	10. Decision

A/N: I am warning you now, this chapter is horribly written. I already know that so don't bother putting that in your review. HAHAHAHA. This is almost the end. Sorry for taking soooo long to do this, but I'm back now, and I will tell you now, the end is near for this story. Haha! Well, enjoy!

Light in the Dark

Chapter 9

"_I'll be there, and I'll cover you." _The character on TV sang to his lover.

Masame cuddled closer to Ren. They were sitting on the sofa, watching a DVD. Both were wrapped by the same blanket, which was big enough to cover both of them, but small enough to force them to sit closely to each other.

Not like either had any objections though.

The couple had gone through quite a lot recently, and they were just thankful to have some time to rest from the drama.

But they both knew that that peace would not last long. Not with Hiiraga still around.

'But still…' Masame thought. 'I don't want to pull the string…' she sighed.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, I am… Just a little cold…" She said simply. She wasn't really lying anyway.

"Well let me help you then," He said, pulling her closer to him, so that her head would be resting on his shoulder.

She sighed contently before pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind to focus on the movie, and her new lover.

The next day, Ren waved goodbye to Masame as he dropped her off at her classroom.

She entered the room with a small smile on her face as she went straight to her seat to fix her things.

On the other side of the room, Hiiraga was about to explode.

"How the hell is he alive?" She asked angrily, while still trying to keep her voice down.

"I don't know either! Maybe… Maybe he isn't mortal…" Sumi said innocently.

The rest of the group stared at her for a few seconds before shaking their heads and going back to the subject at hand.

"Well, since we can't seem to harm her boyfriend, we have to go to the next step." Tsunee shrugged.

"Her sister?" Ryuu asked as he flipped a coin repeatedly, in an attempt to look cool. No surprise.

"Michino?" Kyo added, to make sure.

"Yes, her, who else do you think am I talking about? Her real sister is already dead, in case you've all forgotten." Hiiraga scoffed.

"Hey, easy sugar, easy." Kyo said, placing his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders.

She let out one long, exasperated sigh, before looking down at a piece of paper she was devising new schemes on.

Sumi pointed to one with a simple, "How about this one?"

Tsunee nodded, as the group huddled to discuss.

After a few minutes of deliberation, the group pulled away from the middle.

Tsunee grinned evilly as she said, "We'll do it tonight."

"Thanks for the fun night, sis!" Masame giggled, hugging her best friend as they approached the crossing where they'd part.

"Thanks too! Love you!" Michino answered before crossing the street.

But for some reason, something felt very wrong. Masame looked around, and saw a car speeding right towards Michino.

"NEE-SAN, LOOK OUT!" She cried.

Michino looked to her left and froze in shock as the car drove closer.

Suddenly everything seemed to go in slow motion. Masame shouted again, Michino closed her eyes, and then in another second, it was all over.

Michino was on the other side of the street, with Ren's arm around her waist.

Masame sighed in relief as the car kept going without so much as slowing down to check on the situation. Ren quickly brought Michino to the other side to reunite with Masame, who was in near tears.

"Nee-san, are you alright?" She asked with worry, as the elder of the two nodded, before passing out. "Nee-san!" Masame cried before kneeling next to her.

"She's just a little traumatized… I think we should bring her to our place." Ren said seriously.

Masame nodded and with that, they quickly transported to Masame's room. When there was no one around, teleporting seemed like a much simpler means of travel compared to taking the car.

Masame looked around her room and angrily snatched the doll from her dresser.

"Masa…" Ren said, trying to remind her of what would happen to her.

She nodded. "I know Ren. But she's gone way too far! First my family, then you… Now nee-san? I've had much more than enough! Hiiraga Tsunee, you're going to Hell!" Masame cried out as she pulled the string.

"_I will deliver your vengeance." _Wanyuudou's voice rang out clearly as the doll flew out of her hands. Ai appeared in Masame's room and offered her hand.

"Come with me." She said.

Masame looked at Michino then back to Ai, saying, "But what if she wakes up?"

"I will freeze time for a little while. I think you deserve to watch this unfold." She said as the three of them disappeared and the clock stopped ticking.

"Bye Tsu-chan!" Sumi said cheerily as she and Ryuu crossed the street.

Hiiraga smiled and waved goodbye, until she heard the sound of screeching tires. She screamed her best friend's name and watched as Sumi's body was mercilessly crushed by a truck. She rushed over to the bloody body and cried for her to wake up, which proved to be absolutely useless. Ryuu stared at the mess on the cement before screaming at Tsunee.

"You—You just let her die! I can't believe you! I thought we were best friends?" He exploded before running towards a house that she recognized as her own. He had a tank of gas and poured it all over the walls, before dropping a lighter on the floor, setting the whole thing ablaze. She begged him to stop, as she saw her parents begging to be freed. As the final addition, Ryuu himself stepped into the flames, before locking himself in the house.

Tsunee was helpless as she saw her home burn to the ground, along with another friend of hers, and the rest of her family. She cried as the blazes naturally died out, leaving only three charred bodies crushed by debris.

She heard another familiar voice and immediately recognized it as her boyfriend's. She turned around looking for comfort, but shouted once again at the sight before her.

"Babe, how could you? I thought… you loved me…" Kyo said as he fell to his knees, clutching the surrounding part of his chest that now had a knife lodged in it.

"Babe, what are you talking about? I would never—" Tsunee stopped mid-sentence as she saw the handle of the knife, engraved with the name _Hiiraga._

With that, Kyo fell to the ground, lifeless. Tsunee screamed and clutched both sides of her head, begging for everything to just stop.

Suddenly, everything was quiet. Tsunee opened her eyes and found herself in a black abyss. Three white figures approached her. She recognized them as Sumi, Ryuu and Kyo. They grabbed at her, begging for explanations, clawing her arms and leaving deep wounds on them. Four more white figures appeared and latched onto her limbs. It was the Yamaoka family's spirits.

"Get the hell off of me! Get away!" She screamed, pushing the demonic figures away to no avail. "STOP!" She yelled, and suddenly found herself in a carriage, with a mysterious woman.

"Who… Who are you? Where are you taking me?" Tsunee asked the silent geisha.

Hone-Onna merely looked out the window as a response. Tsunee did the same and yelped when she saw that the carriage was a hundred feet in the air, and the wheel had a face of an old man. "What the hell… Get me out of here!" She said, standing up and reaching for the door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She heard a young girl say. She looked behind her and saw a small girl in purple sitting with a smile on her face. Her giant eyes squinted slightly as her smile grew. "It's a long way down you know." She giggled.

Tsunee realized she was right and sat back down with a sigh. She looked at Kikuri with pitiful eyes and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To your trial, silly." She answered, happily kicking her feet back and forth.

"M-My trial?" She repeated, before realizing her hands were tied together by a red, unbreakable string. "But what did I do?"

"Hmph, you should know, Hiiraga." Ren suddenly appeared next to Hone-Onna.

"I-Ichimoku… What the hell is going on here?" She shouted at the familiar face.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough." He said as he lowered his head and opened the giant eye there.

Hiiraga yelled in horror and suddenly found herself in a strange dark room filled with those demonic figures again.

"Hiiraga Tsunee. Murderer. How do you plead?" Hone-Onna, now suddenly dressed in a suit, asked.

"What? No, I didn't… Not guilty!" She defended.

With those words, her three now-demoniac friends grabbed her. She yelled the words 'not guilty' once more, and the Yamaoka family came and grabbed her again.

"Jury, what is your decision?" Hone asked a hoard of Rens and Wanyuudous in one side of the room.

They all nodded, saying 'guilty' at the same time.

Hone-Onna nodded before looking up. "Mistress, your judgement?"

Hiiraga looked up and gasped as a girl in a kimono appeared above her.

"You have caused great pain and suffering." The girl said, her icy voice piercing Tsunee. "Your hollow soul drowns in your sins." Ai now stood in front of her. "I will show you what death is." She clutched Tsunee's face with one hand, and stretched out her other arm as the flowers from the sleeve devoured the sinister teen.

She awoke on a boat in a dark, eerie body of water. The demonic figures were still latched onto her, tearing her apart piece by piece. She shrieked in horror as she saw her face in the water, bloodied and broken. She looked in front of her and saw Ai rowing the boat, with Ren and Masame sitting in front of her.

"Y-You! You're playing some sick joke on me, aren't you? Get me out of here now Yamaoka!" She demanded. Masame and Ren could only chuckle.

"This is no joke, Hiiraga. You're going to Hell, where you belong." Masame said with a tone of superiority and achievement.

"No… No! You're not taking me anywhere!" She protested and tried to get up before the demons pulled her back down and pretty much chained her down to the boat with their own bones. "No! NO!" She cried again as Ai continued to row them under the arch.

"Sayonara, Hiiraga Tsunee." Masame nearly cackled as Ren brought her to a nearby rock formation where Hone-Onna, Wanyuudou and Kikuri were standing.

Tsunee continued to protest as Ai brought her to the other side of the arch. "You're coming with me. We're going to Hell."

With one last scream and the chime of a bell, Hiiraga disappeared forever in the dark oblivion of Hell.

~To be continued~

A/N: I warned you it was horribly written, due to the fact that it was written when I was high. Well, there you go, she's finally dead. But of course, there's more. ;)


	11. Closure

A/N: Here you go, the closure. :) I really enjoyed writing this, even though it took me quite some time. I hope you enjoyed reading this as well. :)

Light in the Dark

Chapter 10

Masame sat down next to her bed where Michino was still fast asleep. She was soon joined by Ren, Ai, Hone-Onna, Wanyuudou and Kikuri.

Ai approached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ai-chan… What's going to happen now?" Masame asked, putting her hand on top of the other pale one.

"The contract has been fulfilled." Was all she said.

Masame pulled at her collar with her free hand as she glanced at the hell symbol now imprinted on her. She sighed and let it go before looking at the group. "Will I ever see you guys again?"

"Well I don't know about them, but I will try to visit as much as I can. Please, keep the house. I left you my money in the safe in my room. It's not like I'm going to need it anyway." Ren said, walking over to his koibito.

"Thank you, Ren." She stood up and embraced him lovingly. He hugged her back tightly, as if never wanting to let go.

Suddenly, they heard a small groan from Michino, who was finally starting to wake up.

Masame sadly pulled away from her boyfriend's arms and rushed to the bed. "Nee-san, can you hear me?"

"M-Masame?" Michino stirred as she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Wh-What happened?" She asked before looking at Ren. "Oh right, I almost got hit by a car, but you saved me… Thank you so much, Ren-kun." She smiled gratefully. He merely nodded and smiled back before she noticed everyone else in the room. "What's everyone doing here?" She asked before noticing the new mark on Masame's collarbone. "Masa-chan… You didn't…"

Masame only nodded. "I'm sorry nee-san. But she has done way too much. I'm just glad that she's finally gone." She smiled weakly.

"But that means you…"

"I know. But it's okay. As long as I've finally stopped her." She shrugged before Michino embraced her tightly. "Nee-san, relax. I'm not going to hell until after I die naturally." She giggled. For some reason, it didn't seem to bother her all that much.

Masame then stood up and turned to face the group. She then walked over to them and they shared their first and last group hug. She pulled away with a tear in her eye. She then walked over to Ai and took her hands. "If I never get to see you again, I just want to let you know now, you are amazing, and I will never regret meeting you."

Ai smiled. "I would like to thank you, Yamaoka Masame. You have taught me how to smile again. You have also taught me what friendship is." She said, looking to her helpers with that same smile still on her lips.

Before she knew it, Masame's arms were wrapped tightly around her small body. Ai, although quite shocked, found herself returning the action. Awkwardly, at first, but later on, she had tightly wrapped her arms around her friend. Finally, they pulled apart.

"Thank you… all of you." Masame said, looking at each of them.

Ren stepped in front of her again, stealing another sweet embrace. "I love you, Masame." He said sincerely. "Aishiteru." He repeated.

Her arms wound themselves around him. "I love you too, Ren. I love you so much…" She answered.

He pulled away a little and grabbed both sides of her face, before bringing it closer and connecting their lips for the first time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back passionately.

Hone-Onna, Wanyuudou, and Michino smiled at the couple while Kikuri stuck her tongue out in disgust. Ai leaned back on the dresser and just looked at the two, with the slightest hint of a smile gracing her face as well.

Finally, the lovers broke apart and shared one more embrace before Ren walked over to the rest of his "family". They bid the two girls farewell before they disappeared in a quick flash.

Masame walked over to Michino and embraced her. Finally, there was peace in their life once more.

~The end...?~

A/N: The story can actually end here, but if you want more, wait for the epilogue. ;)


	12. Epilogue

A/N: Like I said at the end of chapter 10, it can end there, or it can end here. You decide.

Light in the Dark

Epilogue

Ever since Hiiraga's disappearance, Kyo, Ryuu and Sumi never caused trouble for anyone again, in fear of having the same fate as their leader. Kyo stayed single to prove he honestly cared for Tsunee.

People questioned Ren's disappearance but Masame just claims that he moved abroad suddenly. She continued schooling and paying for the house using the money Ren left her.

As promised, Ren visited her every so often to give her a little more cash, and to check if she was doing okay. Their love remained strong.

A few years passed and Masame fell gravely ill. It turns out that the fumes she inhaled from the house fire had some hidden long term effects on her respiratory system. As she lay on the hospital bed, with only Michino by her side, she thanked her sister for everything she had done for her. She looked at her mark and smiled, saying only one thing before she died.

"_Ai-chan… Take me."_

Michino, devastated, gave Masame a beautiful burial. In her will, Masame left the house to Michino and her family. Michino's family moved to the bigger house and took good care of it for Masame.

When Masame died, she found herself in a familiar boat, with Ai sitting in front of her.

"So I'm going to Hell now?" Masame asked simply.

Ai surprisingly shook her head.

"He has other plans for you, apparently." Ai said, as the boat suddenly appeared in the Eternal Twilight's pond.

Ai stood up and offered her hand to Masame. She quickly took it and led her to the house, particularly to the spider.

Both Ai and Masame bowed before it as He spoke.

"Yamaoka Masame… You have proven to be such a different being from the rest. Therefore, you shall spend your life sentence here. With them." Was all he said before disappearing in a quick white flash.

Masame found herself in a white kimono lined with purple flowers on the edges, with a red ribbon tied around her wrist. Her long brown hair was free flowing, with only one simple clip holding half of it back.

She heard some familiar voices and turned around to see the whole gang. She ran over and hugged each of them before giving Ren a long, sweet kiss.

At that moment, Ai got an email. She brought her client to the giant tree in the Twilight and briefed him on what he was getting himself into. He nodded and accepted the consequences. With that, Ai turned around and faced the four under the shade. "Masame." She called.

"Hai." She answered and tied the ribbon from her wrist around her neck. She quickly changed into a lavender doll in Ai's hand, and Ai lent her to the new client.

~The End~

A/N: Okay, that's really it! Thank you to all who supported me, and I hope you enjoyed Light in the Dark! Happy New Year! :)


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